PHILADELPHIA – A year after their big and brash Super Bowl championship season, the Eagles were in the market for small accomplishments Monday night at Lincoln Financial Field.

Could they get a pivotal takeaway?

Might Darren Sproles actually play and be a spark?

Could Carson Wentz make plays downfield and on third downs with the regularity he did last year?

And may it actually add up to victory?

That’s what their 2018 season has come to, an effort to piece together a run to the playoffs, one precious win at a time.

It made all those postseason boasts about the strong likelihood of a repeat appear absurd.

The Eagles gave affirmative answers to all those questions and snared an important 28-13 victory over NFC East rival Washington, leaving both 6-6 and a game behind the 7-5 first-place Cowboys, whom the Eagles visit Sunday.

"So much bad stuff has happened this year ... We've had a lot of downs," offensive tackle Lane Johnson said, "and I feel like if there's ever a time to get your stuff right, get the team right, it's now."

Monday’s modest achievement was the first two-game win streak of the season. But there were moments when even that seemed improbable for an Eagles team that has often seemed ill-fated.

When former Eagles castoff and recent Redskins signee Mark Sanchez stepped into play quarterback after Colt McCoy broke his leg, his first snap made history.

The Eagles apparently weren’t notified Sanchez hadn’t thrown an NFL pass since 2016. He handed off to Adrian Peterson, as pretty much everyone expected.

Apparently, not everyone, because Peterson dashed 90 yards up the middle for a touchdown as Kamu Grugier-Hill and Cre’Von LeBlanc gave futile chase.

It was the longest run ever against the Eagles or by Washington, and the first time a player as old as Peterson, 33, had rambled that far. Washington took its only lead, 10-7.

Soon after, the Eagles failed on fourth-and-goal from the Redskins’ 1.

Carson Wentz handed off to Josh Adams, who didn’t seem to have a very good chance considering he was standing way back at the 8-yard line when the football was snapped.

He was greeted by Redskins linebacker Zach Brown for a two-yard loss.

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Washington's Mark Sanchez fumbles the ball as he is tackled by the Eagles' Brandon Graham Monday night. (Photo: Jerry Habraken, The News Journal)

Oh, the contrasts. They kept happening.

Later, the big play downfield the Eagles sought – Wentz’ 32-yard pass to Golden Tate that put them at the Washington 5 – was immediately followed by Wentz throwing an easy-to-pick pass intercepted by Josh Norman in the end zone.

"I forced it," Wentz said later.

The Eagles did manage to behold the magic of Sproles, and it was a turning point.

The 35-year-old running back and returner, as elusive as they come, hadn’t played since the season opener because of chronic hamstring woes. Hamstring issues for a player like Sproles, who dashes and darts, are as debilitating as shoulder injuries for a quarterback. He had to be 100 percent to return.

When Wentz jabbed the football in his belly at the Washington 14, Sproles looked like his old self as he followed Jason Kelce’s blocking and slithered between tacklers on his way into the end zone.

"He just epitomizes the heart and soul of our football team," Eagles coach Doug Pederson said of the widespread delight that accompanied Sproles' TD.

It allowed the Eagles to take a 14-10 lead with 1:46 left in the second quarter, though Washington cut it to 14-13 before halftime.

Sanchez was still playing quarterback in the second half, and that was certainly to the Birds' benefit. But it wasn’t until the beginning of the fourth quarter that the Eagles and the home crowd could really feel comfortable.

Wentz’ 4-yard TD pass to Jordan Matthews closed an 11-play, 85-yard drive, with Wentz then throwing to Golden Tate for two points and a 22-13 lead.

Then the Eagles, whose eight takeaways entering the game were the NFL’s second fewest, got one as Nathan Gerry’s interception set up the first of two Jake Elliott field goals.

"This is big for us ... It sets us up to make a run," said Wentz, who had just four passes of 20 yards or more but was 7-for-13 on third downs (54 percent), well above the Eagles' 39-percent average.

Of course, if and when they get to the postseason, the Eagles will have to cope with one or a pair of daunting menaces in the New Orleans Saints, who drubbed the Eagles 48-7, or the Los Angeles Rams, who get that chance Dec. 16 at the L.A. Coliseum.

The Eagles have spent much of their season doing just barely enough to win or not quite enough.

Considering Monday’s game was just the third of 12 this year not settled by six points or less -- and the second the Eagles have won -- perhaps they’re moving in the right direction.

"We'll take the same approach next week knowing that's it's a huge division match-up, on the road, with huge implications as far as the division goes," safety Malcolm Jenkins said.